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Men suffering from depression who take antidepressant medications drink about the same amount of alcohol as non-depressed men, but depressed women taking medication drank more than non-depressed women. Read and find out more.

Antidepressant Medication Has Different Effects on Male, Female Drinking

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Antidepressant Medication Has Different Effects on Male, Female Drinking

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Thursday, March 01, 2007 Research Summary

Men suffering from depression who take antidepressant medications drink about the same amount of alcohol as non-depressed men, but depressed women taking medication drank more than non-depressed women, Canadian researchers say.

Psych Central reported Feb. 27 that both depressed men and women drank more than non-depressed men and women if they did not use antidepressants.

"Our results agree with previous clinical research that suggests that the use of antidepressants is associated with lower alcohol consumption among men suffering from depression," said lead researcher Kathryn Graham of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Ontario. "But this does not appear to be true for women."

"The fact that the relationship between the use of antidepressants and the level of alcohol consumption is different for men and women points to the importance of taking gender influences and sex differences into consideration in the treatment and prevention of many health conditions," said Dr. Miriam Stewart, the scientific director for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research's Institute of Gender and Health.

The study appears in the Feb. 27, 2007 issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Reference:

Graham, K., Massak, A. (2007) Alcohol consumption and the use of antidepressants. Canadian Medical Ass...

Using a drug to treat addiction may seem ironic, but doctors say it can work. How? The drug blocks the brain receptor that may associate reward benefits with drinking. There are other drugs to help with alcohol addiction, but they have to be taken daily, and often with pretty harsh side effects like sweating, vomiting, and rapid heart beat.